wm cheng

Thanks!  There's going to be a few more of my ships coming in this season (look for the Macross stuff I've snuck into the designs😜)
 

Looks like others are liking this design as well! 
https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/did-star-trek-just-fix-discoverys-biggest-mistake.html

This is what I've been up to the last few months.  I've finally started on the Moebius Nu-Galactica.  Luckily I've been able to collect some upgrade parts and the Acreation paneling decals which will cover the entire model. 

Wow, what a crap kit, I've been spoiled by modern Japanese toolings and forgot what building US plastic was like.  So many huge gaps at are 2-3mm that won't close up (landing bay wells) as well as horrible mis-aligned neck/forward section where I had to shave away 2mm of plastic and an entire deck to make it fit with a straight back. 

I forgot about how much puttying I had to do and subsequently how much sanding both of which are the parts of modeling I absolutely hate.  I love painting, weathering and decaling.  The kit is so poorly designed that no one paid any attention to build order and how to compartmentalize pieces to allow access to sand and paint afterwards.  The problem compounded itself by my stupid idea of trying to light this model up so I had to throw the useless instructions out the window and do what makes sense for wiring as well.  The landing bays were done first and sealed up to protect the interior runway decal.

I'm no wiring expert, so I cut apart a cheap dollar store string of LED lights and re-soldered them in assemblies that allowed me to assemble the model and close it up for painting.

You can see how much filling and sanding that gap was, I started to add some spare photo-etched parts to the engine greebling before priming.

Horribly stupid places to put sprue gates?!?! (more sanding, filing and repairs)

Lighting test before closing her up!

Finally primed (it shouldn't take months to get to this!)

You can tell I'm not very patient... gloss black undercoat for the Alclad metalizer.

I should have sprayed the darker Steel colour first and then masked for the lighter armored panels - but I didn't think it through first and sprayed the lighter Stainless Steel Alcad on first which makes masking all the armor panels a huge pain.  So I decided to try to free-hand spray the darker Steel in the engine areas and ribs around the armored panels which turned out ok.  It would have been better if I did break my IWATA HP-BC dual action airbrush (its been with me for 37yrs!) and just fell apart while cleaning.  I ended up having to do this on my old 40yr old single action Badger 200IL.  I don't think it has to be too crisp as the entire thing gets decaled over both the ribs and armor plating - the metalizers would only show through the transparency of the decals underneath.

Well here's where I am today.  I'm ready for the decals, but the time I cut up each and every piece between the ribs, it will be hundreds of decals to apply so this should be the next most time consuming part of the build.  Wish me luck!

Well, yesterday I realize a childhood dream of mine with the premier of Star Trek Strange New Worlds.  Ever since grade 2 I've always wanted to design a Federation Starship and see it on screen when I first saw Star Trek TOS.  I finally got my chance with the season 2 opening last night.  I wanted to re-design the Enterprise as a kid, but it was shooting the Enterprise and got destroyed by it - ah close enough!  They stuck pretty close to my design SketchUp model and even the establisher was pretty close to my concept art too (just they did it too dark as always!).  I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did!  This is what I'm doing when I can't build Macross models 😛

Finally!!! I've been waiting for the updates to the Disco Enterprise to turn it into the SNW Enterprise - however the saucer edge windows still aren't correct - I guess they simplified them?!  I assume they would be molded in clear for their lighting kit with bussard collector motors?

1 minute ago, Shawn said:

I had to rebuild the firewall a bit ago, and one of the default settings (which I missed!) was the block all outbound emails...yay team

Anyways I removed that default rule and resent all the hundreds of emails backed up

Everything should be working again as normal, and if not please holler!

Thanks Shawn, its nice to be back

Hi @Shawn

Yay! I got back on!!!  Thanks @arbit for your help.  I started getting emails to the new address last night around 1am.  I started getting all the email verification requests as well.  I guess when the thread email notifications got turned off, it also turned off any email verification requests too so I couldn't log in after I switched email addresses thinking there was something wrong with my email.  Everything is back now.  Thanks!

Hi all,

I usually get a lot of email notifications in my mailbox on threads/topics that I've been following or PMs but lately I noticed its radio silence from MacrossWorld.  Did something change or a setting that I didn't know about?  I checked my email server to make sure it wasn't going into SPAM/Junk mail, but I didn't see anything.  I've checked here to make sure I am still following the threads and its still checked off.  Has anyone else encountered this?  What could be my problem?

Thanks.

On 5/25/2023 at 2:38 PM, Angesdad said:

How big is the box? HG wants 5100 yen to ship via EMS to me but it seems a little excessive. 

EMS is now more expensive than FedEx/DHL but the difference is still less than FedEx/DHL brokerage/customs/duty fees (which are $25-30 minimum and the duties/taxes on top of that in Canada) where as EMS is often delivered to the door without customs catching on (at least in my experience in Canada).  I paid Nin-Nin 3,900Y for EMS and they just asked for 1,300Y more so I guess I'll end up paying 5,200Y EMS which is totally excessive, but seems in line with most stores in Japan.

On 4/23/2023 at 7:34 AM, electric indigo said:

PLA Navy: How to build a F-35 that looks good & has two engines.

 

That's nice, its the turned up nose of the F-35 (and even F-22) that's ugly - I wonder why that's a characteristic?

Hey @pengbuzz I hear your frustration, I'm really sorry about that.  You amaze me with your perseverance, you've always tackled crazy hard projects and saw them through.  I always look for the easy way to do things (expensive nice kits or lots of aftermarket upgrades) and take shortcuts when I can, so you are kind of an inspiration to the hard work one can achieve with just determination and guts.  You are always building and showing us your work and its great!  I might only get to one model a year if I'm lucky or work is slow and I only got to two or three because of the time off during the pandemic.  Don't sell yourself short, being someone who is constantly building (regardless of the outcome) is always better than someone who just "armchair" builds and comments on others.  Remember you build stuff from scratch too - just masking tape and you're brain, not a lot of people can see something in 3D and make it physically.  Feel free to take a break, a breather when you get frustrated to re-group - sometimes the break for me allows me to come up with a new solution to a problem I've been having with a model.  I took a 20yr break between high school and when I picked up modeling again (part of the reason I'm pretty stuck in my old ways and techniques when there's so much new products and techniques I should try and learn)  Every failure you've built adds to your body of experience that you know what to avoid in your next build.  Do take care of your health and get medical attention if you are losing your dexterity - that's one of the fears of mine that I've accumulated such a pile of kits that I say it will be my retirement projects but if I don't have the use of my fingers in my old age, I'd be devastated!  All the best.

NICE PHOTOS!!! @electric indigo  I think I've just been spoiled with nice Japanese kits for too long.

13 hours ago, electric indigo said:

I don't remember the NuGalactica being so bad, but it's a long time since i tackled it and I was so excited that it just exists. One important mod is to change the position and angle of the "head", it sits to high and points upward when build from the box. Oh and the decals are worthless...

Yes, that's what I was talking about - but as you shave here and there, you discover more that needs to be shaved, not just the enormous gap at the neck, but it angles upwards because the lower section of the back protrudes too far forward of the top so the head gets angled upwards as well as the head top and bottom are too thick / far from each other.  Huge gaps in the bay where the landing bay retracts into and its impossible to fill and sand if you assemble it according to instruction order.  Just a horrible piece of crap with sink marks, flash and chipped pieces everywhere... So unfriendly to light too in the build order which I guess I'm just being a sadist...  The guns are just blobs, luckily I have the resin upgrades.

Nice little fleet!!! @derex3592  I might have to go into my Star Trek stash (I have the 1/1000 Enterprise & Reliant) after I finish up with the Galactica).  I want the new Strange New Worlds Enterprise, but with the prices Polar Lights are charging for the 1/1000 kit, then add on aztec decals, then add on LED lighting kit its crazy for that kind of plastic especially when its based on the Discovery Enterprise and doesn't have the windows and bridge of the Strange New Worlds Enterprise.  I haven't heard of any news of them re-tooling.  Please Bandai, come save us from these US model companies - the Moebius NuGalactica I'm working on is a POS, I have to modify and shave so much plastic to get it to fit, its like they own shares in putty!

WOOHOOO!!! ...finally...

Nice recovery @Urashiman!!! I love seeing that model done up again - I still have mine when I built it in high school 35yrs ago 😛

That NX-01 looks amazing @derex3592 - how big is it at 1/1000 scale?

LOVE magnets @MechTech - so ingenious.

Nice rescue @pengbuzz - man this is down memory lane, I had that raised lines D back in high school too (the latest Picard has me re-looking at all my Star Trek kits again)

I love them!!! But $55 for 1/144 scale planes (before shipping and customs?!?!) Are they on crack?!?!?!

On 3/12/2023 at 1:00 AM, sh9000 said:

Jolly Rogers.

Nice!  You're missing an F-4 Corsair, F-8 Crusader and F-18 Super Hornet that are all part of the Jolly Rogers squad 😛

Nice work @Bolt - do I see magnets on that gunpod?  Did you put magnets on all your Lightning hardpoints?  What size are they and where did you get them?  Was it hard to do?

Haha @electric indigo - know exactly what you mean, double layered HUD in 1/72 is so fiddly!!!  Looking great!

1 hour ago, Thom said:

At least it gave us Strange New Worlds, so I will thank them for that at least.

 

LOL!!! 1000%  Couldn't agree more!

4 minutes ago, Dynaman said:

What Thom said.  No toys I remember but lots of models, and still more being produced but not at a brisk pace.

Is 2205 available (legally) subbed or dubbed in English yet?  The dub cast has grown on me, I didn't like them at first since they were different from the old Star Blazer series 1 and 2 cast but a few episodes in and I was good.

I haven't found any dub of 2005 yet, in fact I only found 8 episodes - how many episodes is it supposed to be?  There's no info on the Funimation site, I believe they were responsible for the 2199 & 2202 dubs.  Me too, the dub is really growing on me as well as I love watching the beautiful artwork on screen and I find reading the subtitles really knocks me out of the immersion of the art.

Yeah, glad I got some when it first came out before I got to viewing the episodes - I just loved the mech designs so much and there were some good books too!  I have the both the new Cosmo Zeros but I'm looking for a Falcon now at a reasonable price.  Looks like the figures are only available at eBay at a markup, not too bad considering they are almost 10yrs old I guess.  Would love a 1/48 Bandai DX Cosmo Zero that folds up in scale with the Valkyries!!!

Thanks for the info - I guess they don't have a following like Macross?  Shame so much toy potential, I remember Star Blazers growing up as a kid and I love my Soul of Chogokin Yamato 2199 and Andromeda, I just thought there would be just as many toy companies clamoring at all the amazing mech designs (seems like its only the capital ships that get any attention)!  I love the fighters too and even the character designs are great.  That's too bad about 2202, but I'll slog through it, just now its not such a priority I guess. 

Sorry to bring this back from the dead, but didn't think I need to start a new thread to ask a question.  I know I'm late to the game but finally got through the first season 2199 and its just amazing, WOW!!!  Haven't started 2202 nor the first 6 episodes of 2205.

Is there a YamatoWorld website forums I can start looking for toys?  I'd love to get a Yuki Mori and Yamamoto Akira figure, is there a site that reviews them like Macross stuff or where's the best place to start researching stuff like that.  For that matter what is the best sculpt for them, and I might as well get into Misa and Minmay too.  I don't know too much about figures, I've always been a Macross toy guy.  I just want the best representation of each to stand behind the toys.  I also can't find any Bandai toys of the Cosmo Zero - it would be great to have that like our Valkyrie Bandai DXs.

Any tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  I've already eyed the Megahouse Yamato Girls from eBay but was wondering if there were some more anime accurate (less sexy) sculpts (they seem better than the Bandai which just seems too tall and thin).  Is eBay the only way to go with these figures nowadays (everything at Mandarake seems sold out)

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

While I would love a properly-built 1/60 VF-2SS... I think the HMR demonstrated exactly what a sloppy mess of joints the design actually is.  Nothing about the design actually has anything that locks together in any way, and the whole thing is an intricate mass of interconnected joints that have to somehow remain flexible enough for battroid posing, but be solid enough to hold the thing in an ostensibly fighter-shaped shape.  

I like the little thing, don't get me wrong, but the overwhelming majority of time I ever spent handling a fighter-mode VF-2SS was primarily focused on getting all of the parts back in alignment after knocking everything out of place by picking it up in the first place.  

It's not really a fighter.. it's a robot that happens to have joints that let it assume a "fighter-shaped" pose.   If someone could come up with a way to make it lock together solidly, I would be more than happy to pick up a larger scale, but I worry that it's only going to get sloppier the bigger it gets.  The HMR size seemed kind of like the ideal size to balance between having all the right joints to make it work, but not make it so big that it couldn't support its own weight.

I don't understand why they don't use strong rare earth magnets to lock things in place instead of pegs - the VF-2SS is a perfect candidate for this.  It would really help solidify these kinds of joints and modes.  Totally eliminate tabs and pegs all together!  You see them doing magnets for ordinances and landing gears in die cast planes nowadays.